Eel Bar

You go to The Fly for wine and roast chicken. To Hart’s for a date night featuring pork milanese, and to Cervo’s to sit outside and people-watch with a vermouth and a side of fried shrimp heads. And you go to Eel Bar—from the same team—for snacky plates and martinis, in funky, goblet-like glassware that you might briefly consider stealing. (Don’t do that. Just come back instead.) The Lower East Side spot feels like an old-school tavern with a touch of downtown scene : there’s pink and blue neon, textured glass windows that feel just slightly exclusive, and a curved bar where you can gossip over a hunk of potato salad glittering with trout roe, or piquillo peppers stuffed with crab, which tastes like a tuna salad that won the lottery.